The rapper-turned-sports agent Jay Z is a boxing fan who’s occasionally slipped on the gloves as part of his fitness routine at Chelsea Piers.
Now the multi-tasking mogul is making a push into boxing on the corporate side with Roc Nation Sports, the agency he created, conceiving a boxing division and hiring longtime fight executive Dave Itskowitch to run it, according to ESPN.com.
The plan is to promote cards and also to turn boxers into celebrities, transforming them into cultural figures similar to the athletes the agency represents, such as Kevin Durant, CC Sabathia and Victor Cruz. The agency has yet to sign any fighters but has obtained licenses to promote in New York and Washington, D.C., the story said.
“This is an opportunity for us to change the game,” Michael Yormark, president and chief of branding and strategy for Roc Nation who is also the twin brother of Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark told ESPN. “Jay Z has an incredible passion for boxing. We want to take the platform we’ve created and bring that to the boxing industry. We want to bring more money and visibility to the sport and give the boxers opportunities outside the ring.”
